The present invention is directed to the packaging of solid components in a flexible substrate assembly having tube-like passageways each containing a solid component. The present invention is also directed to an article of manufacture comprising an elongated sheet of flexible substrate material, having component receiving portions for carrying a plurality of solid components, with strap-like means disposed adjacent the component receiving portions and joined to the carrier substrate so as to form a tube-like passageway for containing a solid component. The ends of the passageways can be closed to provide a substantially enclosed containment of the solid components. Also, the present invention is directed to folding or bending the substrate assembly (having a plurality of solid components secured thereto) in a boustrophedon pattern, or winding the flexible substrate material onto a reel, for transport.
The invention is also directed to a packaging system for electrical connectors having rigid pin-like terminal means projecting therefrom. Prior to their disposition in the tube-like passageways mentioned above, the components are provided with a rigid spacer which is disposed adjacent the pin-like projections to prevent damage to those projections or to prevent the projections from piercing or otherwise disturbing the flexible carrier.
In the past, solid components such as electrical connectors have been packaged in bulk by filling a plastic bag or other suitable container with a number of components in contact with each other in a random manner. However, bulk packaging is unsuitable in many applications since the solid components are subjected to damage during transport. Another more time consuming and expensive method of packaging electrical connectors has been performed by manually aligning the connectors in layers in a suitable container (such as a cardboard box), to minimize contact between the connectors during storage. A layer of compressible material is sometimes disposed between each layer of hand packed components to minimize damage to them during transport. In yet another method, solid members are disposed end-to-end in a plastic tube, but this method is relatively expensive compared to the installed cost of the solid components being packaged.
The assignee of this application has described still another method in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 597,637 filed Apr. 6, 1984. In this method, connectors or other electrical components having a plurality of rigid pin-like projections are mounted for transport by inserting the pin like projections in a carrier member which is typically comprised of a polymeric foam or the like material. However, this carrier material comprises a porous medium which readily accepts and retains certain contaminants which tend to deteriorate the electrical contact quality of the rigid pin-like projections, which comprise, for example integrated circuit terminals.
Further, with increasing miniaturization of electrical components, and the related to requirements of more exacting conductive properties of electrical terminals, insertion and withdrawal of the terminals into a porous carrier presents a significant risk of damage or deterioration to those terminals.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for making a tape-like carrier comprising a flexible substrate assembly for carrying a plurality of solid components.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided in an apparatus for making a flexible substrate assembly which includes an elongated flexible substrate having a plurality of spaced-apart component-receiving regions, a plurality of solid components disposed on the substrate, one on each region, and a plurality of pairs of aligned spaced-apart generally longitudinally extending slits, each defining flexible strap means having one end adjacent each region on one side thereof and a second end adjacent the opposite side of said region, integrally joined by a connecting portion overlying the region to form a tube-like passageway for receiving and containing the components, The apparatus comprises a workstation whereat the assembly is made, means for presenting the substrate to the workstation, means for cutting the substrate to form the strap means, means for lifting the strap means from the substrate to form a component-receiving passageway, and means for inserting the component between the strap means and the substrate.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the strap means is struck out from the substrate to have a free end. After the strap means is lifted to allow insertion of a component thereunder, the free end is joined to the substrate to form a tube-like passageway. In one embodiment, the opening formed by striking out the strap means extends along the component-receiving passageway. In this embodiment, the strap means includes enlarged ear portions which are joined onto the substrate on either side of the opening. In another embodiment, the strap means has a free end, and is bent back to overlie a component receiving passageway longitudinally adjacent to the opening. Again, the free end of strap means is joined to the substrate to form the tube-like passageway.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cutting means forms a pair of spaced-apart slits in the substrate such that the first and second ends of the strap means are integrally joined to the substrate. The strap lifting means is operative to displace the strap means, and the remaining portions of the substrate laterally adjacent the slits, away from each other, to form a tube-like passageway.